The Supreme Court has struck down a federal law that made sports betting illegal in most states, giving states that had previously been barred from the ability to go ahead and legalise being on sports if they choose to do so.

The 6-3 decision worked to strike down the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which barred state-sanctioned sports betting, except for in a handful of states.

The court’s decision, one research firm says, will likely lead to 32 states offering sports betting within the next half a decade, according to the Associated Press. A researcher also told the news agency that legal sports betting could end up being more than a $57bn annual market, and that the Monday decision is likely to lead to near-term positive effects.